Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Bar tape on top tube

I lock up my Pista very carefully, using the pedal and the seat to protect the top tube.
However, we don't have very many, if any fixies here in Bend, other than mine, and it attracts a lot of attention.
So, many times when I get back to my bike I find some curious person has moved it and the top tube now has several scratches on it.

My son suggested several ways of protecting the top tube, none of them aesthetically pleasing to me.
Then it occurred to me that I could put the same white bar tape on the top tube that I have on my handlebars, aft of the Pista decal and forward of the seat post.
I could even finish the ends of the wrap with the same black tape as on my handlebars, and the top tube would then echo the handlebars.

I've not seen anyone do the above.
Why not?
Would it look stupid?
Comments?

I suggest you use that stuff bruce willis had in the remake of the jackal. He sprays this stuff on his car and when the bad guys try to open it they get some kind of high powered acidic solution on their hands which quickly burns them down to their bones. Just a thought.

I've seen it, it looks ok for sure, much better than innertube or electrical tape.\ that's\ stuff is good for hlping your ride look ghetto but nine to pretty.

I'd bet the reason its not done too often is that with alot of tape the glue sticks really well to the bar and not so good to the tape when you remove it. it's easy to get that crap off though so maybe its becauseit'a hard to finish the ens of the bar tape in an attractiv way

sure beats shelling out for one of those $40 dollar thnifgs

It's your bike, do with it what you like. If you think it looks good, then go for it--you don't need anyone else's approval :c)

Gilby wrote:

"...you don't need anyone else's approval..."

I agree.
In my mind it looks good.
I wondered why I hadn't seen it before.
Glowingrod may have given me the answer.
I think I'll do it.

Gilby wrote:

"...you don't need anyone else's approval..."

I agree.
In my mind it looks good.
I wondered why I hadn't seen it before.
Glowingrod may have given me the answer.
I think I'll do it.

Oh ......Oh (raises hand) This may be a cool place to try a harlequin wrap 8-) A short, straight section of tube is the easiest to do. In case you missed it, I redid the how-to as a web page and put it at: my wastedlife.org site. (http://www.thewastedlife.org)

Jim

I don't know...I guess you'd have to decide which is LESS aesthetically pleasing, seeing scratches in your top tube's finish, or never seeing the finish at all. If you're thinking of resale value, then some kind of protection probably makes sense. I'd be concerned about two things with bar tape, though: first, the residue it will leave after you remove it; and second, it will trap moisture underneath and possibly damage the finish or frame. What kind of material is your Pista's frame made of?

One other comment -- if they are very fine scratches, you might try working in a really high-quality automotive wax, like Meguiar's. Some of these can do a good job hiding light scratches, and might help protect against future scratches.

A friend of mine wrapped cloth tape around his top and down tubes. It looked pretty nice. Sorta like the old cloth wrapped exhaust pipes on choppers.

Dr. Moto wrote:

"...I guess you'd have to decide which is LESS aesthetically pleasing, seeing scratches in your top tube's finish, or never seeing the finish at all..."

The Pista has a clear coat over cheap chrome over steel.
The scratches go through the clear coat and change the appearance of the chrome from liquid shiny to bright frosted.
The visibility of the scratches has surprised me.

I think the bar tape on the top tube would look better than the scratches, and, like the bar tape on the handlebars, and like the white panels on the down tube and seat tube, aesthetically congruent.

("con•gru•ent: superposable so as to be coincident throughout." Zane Publishing, Inc.)

Thanks to Dr. Moto for posing the question in a way that resolved the issue in my mind.
I've decided to do it.
I'll post a picture.

How about the solution posted recently where you take a piece of clear vinyl tubing from the hardware store that has an ID similar to that of your top tube (though a little smaller), and you slice it lengthwise to open it up and insert the top tube into it. It'll hold itself on with suction, won't hide the finish, and will provide a durable locking surface that you can replace if necessary later on.

peace,
sam

I like phideaux's clear tubing idea.
I've heard it before.
So far I haven't found tubing like that in any of our local hardware stores.
Perhaps I can find it online.

here's the thread w/ a pic of it. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=100310

i got the tubing at my local hardware store, you might also be able to find some at an aquarium supply store, and the home depot here (sf/bay area) has it as well.

I found the tubing in a Restaurant Supply business.
I'll try it.

Yes, thanks for the link! Dolface is the one who posted that a while back, and it seems like an elegant solution. Home Despot should have that tubing in their bulk tube section, every one around here does at least.

peace,
sam

I use spent tire tubes sliced lengthwise and zapped strapped as: chainstay protectors and gravel guards on the downtube.
Toptube lean scratches I use hockey or a cloth tape as it takes hits better and doesn't rot off.
Nice to grab when the bikes wet too.

here's the thread w/ a pic of it. http://www.bikeforums.net/editpost....tpost&p=1145498

Yo, dolface, no linky......

doh!!!
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=100310

I found a place that sold the plastic tube and bought some and tried it.
I felt a little ambivalent about it.
Maybe on a different bike.

So, then I tried the white bar tape with black tape ends to match my bars, and I like that better, for me.
It looks like it came from the factory that way.
One roll of tape did the top tube from the seat post to about 1.5" from the Pista decal.

i just have a bandana taped on the top tube that i can slide when i lock it up to where i need the protection.

pics?

who is that "pics" directed toward?

i have my fixie wrapped completely with black cloth tape. it was actually kind of expensive. i wrapped the top tube then was like, "this just doesn't look complete." then i bought another roll(s) and wrapped the downtube, took look and said, "still not complete..." in the end i used like 7 rolls of cloth tape at 3 bucks a roll ;( live and learn.


anyhow, i got a pic.

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/3198370-lg.jpg

crapola! i swear hyperRevue's post wasn't there when i posted!

ken, do you have pics of the toptube?

i just have a bandana taped on the top tube that i can slide when i lock it up to where i need the protection.

Love that idea. What do you do when it rains?

I just put the tape on this afternoon.
I'll post a picture tomorrow if I can figure out how to use my wife's camera. :)

hmmmm...i can't remember making any conscious adjustment for the rain.
the bandana is on my pista, so i probably just unconsciously choose to ride my other (not as nice) bike when it rains.

http://fixedgeargallery.com/2005/may/EvanSolochek.htm -- if youre interested.

"I just put the tape on this afternoon"

I wouldnt do that if I were you....

Haha. I have a bandana on my bike too, but for a different reason. When I ride home from work, I ride by a marsh with all these swarms of bugs. I put the bandana on "rob a stage-coach" style. After I pass, I wrap it around my seat post.

My first attempt at uploading a picture.

Hm.

Back to the drawing board.

Second attempt:

Ken,

Looks pretty solid.

I used to have the front triangle all taped up with my old used cloth bar tape, but then realized I didn't like having all that extra crap on my frame. Now I just have a strip of tubular tube (smooth and seamless) wrapped halfway across the top tube. Scratches and dings in the paint add character!

Hey! I take offense! My pista does not look ugly just because it's wrapped in inner tube! And I agree with whoever said that innertube is better than torn-up top-tube paint. I was getting the same thing as the original poster -- people tearing up my bike at racks because they're too careless with theirs.

I work in a shop, so I collected used road tubes for a few days doing flat-fixes, and now I have the top tube, down tube, and seat tube completely wrapped. A little electrical tape helps keep the tubes in place and wrapped tight.

Also -- I'm not sure what year the original poster's Pista is -- mine is a 2003, I think, which was the year that they went battleship grey (just before it went platinum, or whatever that crazy-shiny color is). The black tubes on the grey frame are actually aesthetically pleasing for the most part. And I smile whenever I think of a moment in which a scratch or a chip has been prevented.

Next move is to rewrap my handlebars (I have bullhorns) with innertube. My bartape is pretty much shot, and innertubes are free -- plus, they last about ten times as long as bar tape anyway. I'm guessing I'll need about one tube per side. Recycling innertubes rocks.

Ugh. I would think dry innertubes would be hard on your skin and wet ones would be slimy and hard to grip. No thanks.